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Maximising impact with Horizon 2020

Andy Bleaden, International Projects Manager for ECHAlliance, provides an overview of funding from the Horizon 2020 Programme and explains what opportunities are available for members over the next few years.

Background

With research and development becoming increasingly complex, interdisciplinary and costly; as well as requiring a critical mass in a Europe of 28 countries, there was a need to develop a programme for increased collaboration to encourage excellent science, industrial leadership and the tackling of societal challenges.

Horizon 2020, the European Union programme for research and innovation, was designed to meet this need and a budget of €79 billion was allocated during the period 2014-20. There are three strong ambitions for Horizon 2020:

Respond to the economic crisis to invest in jobs and growth;

Address people’s concerns about their livelihoods, safety and environment;

Strengthen the EU’s global position in research, innovation and technology.

It is this last area, 'Strengthen the EU’s global position in research, innovation and technology,' that offers most of the opportunity for the members of ECHAlliance. Funding opportunities have been developed around five clear priority areas:

Excellent Science;

Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies;

Innovation in SMEs;

Access to Risk Finance;

Societal Challenges.

The first of these Societal Challenges was one that is a key area for ECHAlliance members and targets Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing.

The next few years

As the Horizon 2020 programme approaches to its natural end there is a large concentration (and more funding) of activity to maximise impact. Between 2018-20 there will be €2 billion for health, demographic change and wellbeing targeting three distinct areas: